RAIL VEHICLE: Boeing LRV
. - - . . . . . . '~ Boeing LRV ~' ---- . The original concept of the LRV came to fruition in the late 1960s as the limited number of cities with PCCs in North America were looking for modern replacements for their aging rolling stock. When Muni in San Francisco, California and the MBTA in Boston, Massachusetts were looking at building new vehicles or import existing European vehicles, the UMTA created a committee (the BSF Committee) to design a standardized light rail car. At the same time, a flood of defense conversion projects came to fruition as the result of government encouragement to help keep defense suppliers busy as the Vietnam War was coming to an end. UMTA, under President Nixon's "Buy America" program, would not fund any transit vehicles which were not produced in the United States, nor approved by the Administration. By 1973, UMTA awarded Boeing-Vertol of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania the contract to produce the LRV at a cost of approximately $300,000 per car. Muni initially ordered 80 cars and the MBTA ordered 150. Later, the orders were expanded to 100 and 175 respectively. The first demonstrator model was produced in 1975 and was intended to be an early Muni car. The LRVs entered revenue service on December 30, 1976, on the MBTA's Green Line "D" Branch. In San Francisco, the first two LRVs were delivered in October 1977 and production deliveries started in December 1978. The first regular runs on the Muni system came on April 23, 1979, on a temporary shuttle service, with more extensive use beginning with the opening of the Muni Metro in February 1980. The car body shells and truck frames were built by Tokyu Car Corporation and the motors provided by Garrett, with assembly at the Boeing plant in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. The LRV's ended their service in Boston in 2007 and were placed into storage pending decision on their final disposition. Several were given to the government for testing and a number found their way into rail and trolley museums, but the balance of the fleet sat. But with the various engineering problems that had plagued the LRV's throughout their lives, finally having been resolved just as they left service, they were a fleet ready to serve a few more years for someone. Islands Rail Link purchased 75 LRV sets to start it's electricified services, 55 operating and 20 for parts. They were sent to New Hampshire for service before departing by ship from Portsmouth for the Panama Canal and the Islands. . . . ---- 'Specifications:' . Capacity: ::::: 52 seated (reduced to 48 to provide room for wheelchairs) passengers, ::::: with crush load of 275 passengers standing and sitting Car Length: ::::: 71 ft (21,640 mm) Maximum Speed: ::::: 50 mph with multiple units Weight: ::::: 67,000 lb (30,390 kg) Traction System: ::::: Monomotor, 210 hp (160 kW), 152 kV, 280 V DC, 600 A Prime Movers: ::::: 2 Garrett 420 hp (310 kW) Braking Systems: ::::: Air/Hydraulic NY Air Brake Track Gauge: ::::: Standard 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) . . . ---- 'Gallery:' . - Boeing LRV .jpg Boeing LRV (2).jpg Boeing LRV (3).jpg Boeing LRV (4).jpg Boeing LRV (6).jpg Boeing LRV (7).jpg Boeing LRV (8).jpg Boeing LRV (9).jpg Boeing LRV (10).jpg Boeing LRV (11).jpg Boeing LRV (12).jpg - . . . ---- 'Notes:' . . . . . ---- . . . . . Category:Rail Vehicles Category:Public Transportation Category:American Equipment Category:Boeing